


Sharing Circle

by Unicorn32442



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Argo II reunion trip, Family, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, I’m sorry, Kind of a character study but whatever, Multi, Secrets, i still can’t tag, this is kinda dark but not really but also sorta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:40:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21993094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unicorn32442/pseuds/Unicorn32442
Summary: So basically I noticed that y’all don’t respect Leo.I’ve only seen him in fics as a minor character, in some weird AU, or being shipped with someone random.So I’ve decided to stick him in the worst situation I could think of.I have to apologize for writing this I feel bad now.Then I realized that these people don’t really know each other so we’re sharing backstories yay
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Percy Jackson & Leo Valdez, Piper McLean & Leo Valdez
Comments: 22
Kudos: 167





	1. Nightmare in Costco

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry  
> You’re gonna want to murder someone after reading this  
> It gets better I promise.

“You didn’t all have to come, I can shop by myself.” Leo understood Annabeth’s confusion, eight teenagers walking around Costco with one shopping cart was a bit of a weird sight.

“Oh, come on! We only have three days, we need to make the most of it.” Percy seemed very enthusiastic about this whole thing. It was his idea after all. Leo had thought it was cool at first, an Argo II reunion trip had sounded like fun at first. And then Annabeth came up with the great suggestion about visiting everyone’s home towns. And then the random online generator just had to pick Leo. And then Piper just had to charmspeak him into admitting where he actually was born. And then they decided that only Argo II residents could come, which meant no Calypso. 

So far, the trip to Houston hadn’t been as bad as he thought it’d be. He did catch one or two old neighbors staring at him for an abnormal amount of time, trying to figure out if he was who they thought he was. But it was only the second day, and Leo was even considering telling his friends what happened. Anything to end this trip before someone actually recognized him. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if one of his family members saw him. 

“Okay but seriously, this could attract monsters. I already think someone’s following us.” Normally, Leo would just call her paranoid, but given the circumstances….

“Who is it? Probably a monster right?” He tried not to look too suspicious when his question got some confused looks.

“Of course it’s a monster. Why would a human be following us?”

“I dunno. I have a certain smile that police and ladies named Karen find unnerving.”

His friends laughed, although Hazel and Nico didn’t really understand the Karen thing. Leo figured he’d successfully covered up his concern.

“But seriously, I saw some lady with a mole in a floral dressing gown a couple times. I mean, who wears a dressing gown to Costco? Could definitely be an Empousa or something.” 

That sounded logical, so Leo decided to go with it, because he would rather not think about the one person he knew who would probably wear a dressing gown to Costco. He would have to have the worst luck in the world for it to be her. 

“Well, if she comes back we can handle it.” Said Jason.

“Right. So we should probably split up to make this go faster.” Annabeth ripped her list into three parts. One for her and Percy. One for Frank, Hazel, and Nico. One for Jason, Piper, and Leo.  _ And Leo _ . Third wheel Leo. That was slightly depressing, and it made him miss Caly. 

Jiper and Leo headed to the dairy section, where Leo’s anxiety was starting to grow. What if the lady Annabeth had seen wasn’t an empousa? No, he couldn’t think like that, his friends might catch on if he looked worried. Leo somewhat knew that he really should tell his friends about how uncomfortable this trip made him. But irrational or not, he was dreading the day that he’d have to tell them.

“Are you okay Leo?” Jason could be so nosy without even meaning to be sometimes. Or maybe Leo was overreacting, he probably was. A quick cover-up would solve this.

“Actually man, I gotta be honest with you. I’m terrified of cheese.” Piper burst out laughing and Jason chuckled a little. He still looked concerned, but Leo had been practicing his cover-ups for years. Jason would probably figure that if a normal person felt good enough to crack jokes, they were okay. Too bad Leo wasn’t a normal person. Sometimes, the mechanic just wished he had a friend who knew him well enough to assume that he was making jokes because he was lying, and ask him what’s wrong. And then Leo would tell them everything and they would still love him no matter what.

Leo loved his current friends, but sometimes he wished he didn’t have to beat himself up over not being able to  _ tell _ them something was wrong. He wished they would just  _ know _ something was wrong. 

“Why would you possibly be afraid of cheese, weirdo?” Piper snickered.

“Had a traumatic experience. It involved a very angry mouse. You don’t want to know.”

“No, I guess I don’t.”

Jason went to grab the ingredients on Annabeth’s list, leaving Piper and Leo in a very serious discussion about traumatic experiences. It was a very intelligent discussion, which is why people who walked by looked at them weird. Strangers from Costco just weren’t sophisticated enough to understand. Leo had some interesting input, but it was quickly established that Piper was the expert in this particular topic.

“I just can not look at high heels the same way anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it at this rate. What do you suggest?”

“Well, it’s quite simple actually, you just need to….” Leo’s eyes widened and he trailed off. Because apparently, he had the worst luck in the world. Staring at him, just fifteen feet away, stood a woman with hard eyes, a sour mouth, and a broad nose with a mole on one side. For a moment, Leo wondered if maybe it was just Nemesis here to terrorize him some more. But no, she wasn’t wearing a red leather jacket, she was wearing a floral dressing gown. “ ….get out of here.” Leo started to back away from his crazy aunt, ignoring Piper’s concerned look. “We need to leave. Right n-”

“Leo, what’s wrong?” Jason had come back. Leo tried to nod in the right direction, but it was a mistake. Because now he was making eye contact with her, and he desperately didn’t want to be. Just as recognition began to fill her eyes, Leo bolted.

“Leo? Wait, where are you going?” He heard Piper calling after him, but he didn’t care. He could see the exit. He was going to make it. All he had to do was get to the rental car. It was parked so close. 

“YOU!” Leo skidded to a stop as his cousin Raphael blocked his path. Raphael had gotten big, and could easily overpower Leo. Especially since Leo had forgotten his toolbelt in the car. 

“Hey, cuz! Long time, no see…” Leo said nervously. His cousin only glared at him. Leo put his hands out in front of him, as if that would somehow protect him, and looked behind him. He saw Rosa walking up behind him, closing him into the grocery aisle. There was no way he could slide past either of him. Jason and Piper were running towards them, but seemed too stunned to do anything.

“Hola, tia.” Leo said, his fear leaking into his voice. “Any chance you’re willing to forgive and forget?” He could feel himself trembling.

“Of course not! You evil boy! Raphael!” Leo’s cousin grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned his arms behind his back. Leo tried to get away, but it was no use. Raphael was like a foot taller than him. Rosa caught his eye and Leo looked up at her fearfully.

“What do you have to say for yourself murderer!?” She slugged him in the face. He felt a cut open up over his eyebrow and the blood stung his eye. That was gonna bruise. He wanted to use fire, but he reminded himself that they were mortals. It was just too risky.

“I told you I didn’t do it, tia!”

“I won’t fall for your lies, diablo!” He winced at the name. She punched him again, this time in the nose, causing it to bleed. He hoped it wasn’t broken. Had she been working out? “I don’t care what those dumbass lawyers think! You murdered my sister!”

“Security!” Leo heard a voice shout nearby, probably some scared Costco employee.

“Tia, por favor-”

“Don’t you call me that! You are not my nephew, Leonidas! You killed my beloved sister! You murdered Esperanza!” At the mention of her name, Leo felt tears running down his cheeks. She punched him again.

“Why would I kill mama?” He sobbed. Raphael had him in a chokehold by then, and his vision was starting to go spotty. That was when a pipe burst above them and Rosa was swept away screaming in jet of water. But his cousin stayed put, his strong arms still wrapped around Leo’s throat as he gasped for air. Before he could register what was happening, he heard Piper’s voice, the charmspeak thick, and he fell to the floor. He saw his friends standing over Rosa and Raphael, the security guard looking very confused to see that a few teenagers had done his job for him. Rosa glared at Leo, who was curled up on the floor coughing as his vision darkened.


	2. When in doubt drink coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More secrets revealed.  
> Jason is pissed.  
> Percy and Leo have formed an alliance.  
> Hazel doesn’t like profanity.  
> Piper has an idea.  
> Everyone else is an eavesdropper.

Leo woke up drowsily in the Official Argo II Rental Villa, sprawled across the couch. He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but it probably hadn’t been long because his nose still throbbed, his throat was sore, and he had a pounding headache.  _ What happened again?  _

He was pretty sure he got beat up. Maybe he made one too many jokes about some kids at school, or maybe he had forgotten to take out the trash and his foster mom happened to have a bad day. Wait no, there was a hand on his shoulder. It felt familiar. Maybe he had been in a monster fight and was recovering. That was probably it.

He wanted to lay down longer, maybe go back to sleep, but he didn’t want to take up his friend’s time for much longer. They probably had to do something. He opened his eyes and winced at the bright lights, which were not helping his headache. 

“Jason, turn the light down!” Leo relaxed at first, but then he realized that the room was completely pitch black. “Not all the way down!”

“You used charmspeak!”

“Oh, sorry.” 

Leo smiled softly as the light went up just enough for him to be able to see, but not so much that it hurt his eyes. Unfortunately, he could now see all of his friends in his room in the rental villa and his smile faded as he remembered what had happened. His friends were probably never gonna look at him the same way again. His mask was broken, discarded, and gone forever.

“Damn it.”

“That’s what you have to say? Are you really okay or have your been lying this whole time?” Jason demanded.

“What the hell do you want me to say, Jason?”

“I don’t know, explain what just happened?”

“Some crazy lady and her son beat me up?”

“You obviously knew them, so explain.”

“Stop interrogating him Jason.” Leo was surprised that it was Percy who said this, since Percy usually took Jason’s side. 

“Well, I’m concerned. They seemed like family members, but they were really mad at you.” Jason pressed.

“So you want to know what I did to them.” Leo was worried about this question. But at least he would be able to tell his friends his point of view, unlike he was able to do with everyone else in his family. “It’s none of your-”

“Don’t you dare say it’s none of our business because we’re your friends and we care about you so it is our business.”

“How comforting. Sentiment. So now I have to tell you everything right?”

“I mean, there’s no point in lying.”

Leo looked around before he started. Jason, Piper, Hazel, and strangely Percy were standing next to him looking concerned while Annabeth, Frank, and Nico stood awkwardly in the background.

Leo sighed heavily, sitting up on the couch and propping his feet up on the ottoman. Laying back on the pillows, he looked at his friends again. Jason was crossing his arms impatiently. Piper and Hazel still looked at him like he was gushing blood from a stab wound. Percy had an expression that Leo couldn’t really figure out. Like he was angry, but not at Leo, at the world in general. But at the same time, he looked empathetic, maybe he was an ally. 

“I-It was an accident. I was only eight and I was angry. It was Gaea really.”

“You met Gaea before the quest?”

“Yeah, I guess she already knew I was gonna defeat her so-”

“Why didn’t you tell us this?” Asked Hazel, still looking concerned but slightly more curious.

“I dunno, never came up?”

“So, what did you do?”

“She tricked me. She knew I lose control.”

“You accidentally started a fire.” Piper realized. “And your mom-”

“-didn’t make it out. Yeah. There’s the big secret, you happy?”

Silence.

Leo felt a tear roll down his cheek and cursed, hiding it from his friends.

“So I was supposed to live with my aunt Rosa and my cousin Rafael, aka crazy people from Costco. They hated me already so you can imagine their reaction. Not only did they straight up refuse to take me but they turned my entire family against me.”

Leo wasn’t really sure how he was able to talk this much. He’d tried to tell people what happened before but he had never been able to get this far. It was completely possible that he was just tired, especially since this entire situation was starting to become oddly funny.

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Asked Percy.

Leo knew he had to tell the next part. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe some god was whispering in his ear that he had to. Maybe he didn’t think he would be able to get away with any other lies. Or maybe seeing his friends concerned made him realized that he cared about them too, and that they deserved to know the whole truth.

“Fine, yes.” The couch suddenly became very uncomfortable, so he groggily made his way to the kitchen, smiling when he noticed a hot coffee pot and creamer sitting on the counter. He sat in a bar stool with his coffee and waited for his friends to follow him. Only Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Percy followed him, which he expected. Well, he didn’t expect Percy, but Water Boy was acting strange today. 

“Let’s just say I didn’t run away from all those foster homes for no reason.”

“I knew it.” Muttered Percy. That’s when his empathetic looks made sense. How did Leo not realize earlier?

“So, you too, huh?” Asked Leo, ignoring the others’ confusion.

“Yeah.”

“Who do we need to kill?”

“My stepdad. The one before Paul. And he’s long gone.”

“You had another stepdad?” Asked Piper. Percy nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting next to Leo. 

“How many foster parents do we need to kill?”

“Meh. I don’t really remember names and stuff. If you don’t care about me I don’t care about you, you know?”

Percy nodded. Their friends seemed to have caught on by now, but they didn’t look like they wanted to believe it. 

Leo was chuckling maniacally now. Maybe this whole thing was a nightmare and he’d wake up in the Hephaestus cabin any minute. No one said anything for a moment, but the silence wasn’t exactly awkward. Just heavy. Until finally Piper spoke up.

“That’s it, I can’t take this anymore. We’re doing a sharing circle, everyone back into the living room.”

“What the fuck is a sharing circle?” Hazel gasped at Percy’s profanity and Percy muttered an apology.

“Okay but really, we’re not kindergartners Piper.” 

“Well, you’re lying and keeping secrets like kindergartners. Everyone. In. The. Living. Room. NOW!”

Piper ushered them back toward the living room. When she opened the door, the three they left inside stumbled back from where they were obviously eavesdropping. Sitting in a circle on the floor felt kinda ridiculous, but this group had done weirder things. 

“Is this a cult?”

“No, Nico. It’s a sharing circle. We’re gonna take turns sharing all the problems we haven’t shared yet.”

“Why?”

“Because we are a family and we need to bond because apparently we don’t know each other. Try not to talk when it’s not your turn. You’re allowed to ask questions after the person is done talking. Who wants to go first?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah shit’s about to get real.
> 
> If you thought this was angsty before...


	3. The amazing adventures of Pinecone Face and her sidekick Annie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to share!
> 
> Annabeth goes first. I wanted to start off gently so this is still kinda harsh but it’ll get way worse after this so...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riordan wiki is great

“Come on. Don’t make me pick for you.”

Annabeth sighed. “Piper’s right, guys. We need to stop lying to each other. Since all of you are to scared to volunteer, I’ll go first.”

“Thank you, Annabeth.” Piper heard Percy mumble something about the no-talking-when-it’s-not-your-turn rule but she ignored it.

“So what do you want to hear?”

“Just basic background stuff, things your friends should know, whatever you want really. Just share.”

“Ok, so Athena met my dad when he was in college and helped him study, and I happened. Except, my dad didn’t really ...I don’t want to say he didn’t want me, but he was not prepared, and he asked my mom to raise me on Olympus. She declined for obvious reasons, so I grew up in Virginia. When I was five, my dad got married and had twins so now I have a stepmom and two stepbrothers. I thought my family hated me, since my dad worked all day and my stepmom never believed anything I said. Like, I would get attacked by spiders, but they would hide when my stepmom came in so she thought I made up the whole thing.”

“I ran away when I was seven. I lived on my own for a few months, my mother guiding me through monster attacks, until I ran into Thalia and Luke.” Annabeth and Percy had already told this group what happened with Luke, so she didn’t need to explain him, but she wasn’t sure if they knew Thalia’s story.

“We eventually ran into Grover, who took us to camp. On the way we made a few wrong turns and accidentally ended up in a Cyclops lair. It could imitate voices, which is how it caught people. It would pretend to be someone close to them and lure them in. Everyone was captured except me. I found them eventually, hanging over a pot. The cyclops tried to lure me with my dad’s voice but I stabbed it in the foot and managed to untie Thalia so she could help the others. When we finally got to camp, we were overrun with monsters. Hades sent an army after Thalia, probably because he was mad at Zeus for breaking the oath-

“That wasn’t the only reason.” Nico interrupted. Everyone looked at him confused. 

“It’s not your turn Nico, no talking.” Snapped Piper.

“Fine, I’ll wait.”

“Anyway, we crossed the border, Thalia got turned into a pine tree. A few years later she turned into a person again and we call her pinecone face now. Who’s next?”

“Pinecone face.” Chuckled Percy. “She would kill you if she were here right now.”

“Well she’s not here is she?”

“Jason’s here.”

“Jason’s laughing too.” 

“I can go next.” Said Frank.

“Wait, wait, wait we haven’t done questions yet.” Warned Piper. “Come one guys we’re doing this properly.”

“Did you ever go back home?” Asked Hazel.

“Oh, yeah when I was ten I went back and it didn’t really work out. Then when I was twelve I went back again and it worked out better so I’m all good at home now.”

“Well I’m glad everything worked out.” Hazel smiled warmly. “Who wants to go next?”

“I guess I will.” Said Frank. “I don’t really mind sharing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye franks turn  
> Let’s see how this goes.


	4. Short

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Franks turn!
> 
> This is a bit short but I’m trying,

“I grew up in Vancouver-”

“Right, I forgot you were Canadian.” Percy interrupted, earning an elbow to the ribs from Piper.

“Dude, how? He’s so polite.” Commented Jason.

“-As I was saying. I grew up in Vancouver. My mom was in the military. Not long before I turned sixteen, she died in Afghanistan, so I moved in with my grandma.” Hazel leaned her head on his shoulder and he put an arm around her. “Later I found out that my mom was using her powers and there was an accident and…” He paused, before apparently deciding to change the subject. “I already liked archery but I wasn’t using it for anything other than a pastime. Miss that.” A few chuckles around the room.

“I found out I was a demigod on the day of my mom’s funeral. My grandma explained everything and gave me the dumb stick and Lupa picked me up later that day. I found out who my dad was right before the quest with Percy and Hazel and now I’m here.” 

“Well that was short.” Muttered Nico.

“Kinda makes sense. He’s got the coolest most complicated powers so he has a short backstory.” Piper reasoned. “So ...any volunteers?”

No one said anything.

Piper sighed, looking at the group. Then, she turned to Jason and smiled prettily, but it was totally a front. There was a fierce look in her eyes.

“Okay, I’ll go next, fine. But it’s pretty short.” Said Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow Piper what a demanding girlfriend  
> I love Jiper tbh
> 
> Yay jason next chapter will probably be short too


	5. Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason’s turn this is short too.
> 
> Sorry it took me a million years to post I didn’t really know where I was gonna take this story and I still don’t but I’d feel bad about abandoning it.

“When I was born, Juno was pissed.”

“Makes sense.” Grumbled Annabeth.

“So Zeus basically gave me to Hera and when I was two she made my mom take me to the Wolf House, so I was literally raised by wolves.” 

“You were two?” Percy asked.

“Yes. That’s why my name is Jason. The original Jason was Hera’s favorite hero.”

“I lived in New Rome for as long as I could remember and eventually joined the fifth cohort. Everyone told me not to, so I had to.”

“That makes no sense.” Annabeth crossed her arms, puzzled.

“What do you mean? I would’ve done the exact same thing.” Said Percy. 

“So from their I went on a bunch of quests and after Mount Othrys, I became praetor.”

“That was short too.” Frank grumbled.

“Well, if I told you about all the quests it would be a lot longer. Who wants to go next?”

“How about Piper goes next? She’s the one that wanted to do this.” Percy looked at Piper pointedly. “Unless you’d prefer to just stop this.”

“No, I’ll participate.” Piper glanced around. “But do not expect me to tell some Native American folk tales.”


	6. He named me Piper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay Piper 
> 
> I still don’t really know what I’m doing with this but if you’re still here thanks for reading

“Can we take a break? I’m hungry.” Complained Percy.

“You’re always hungry Percy. It’s my turn.” Piper crossed her arms. “You will participate. I was raised by my dad and my Grandpa Tom. Grandpa would tell me stories and stuff and he named me Piper because he thought I had a strong voice, but then h-he got lung cancer.” Jason put an arm around her. “We couldn’t afford to treat him and he died. When my dad started acting, I learned greek myths to help him research the role, but he didn’t have as much time to spend with me anymore.

He got an assistant named Jane, who hated me. I found out she was a monster later but at the time my dad trusted her. I started using charmspeak to steal stuff to get my dad’s attention, but he would only send me to boarding schools and stuff. We made up this game where we could ask each other any three questions, but it didn’t really work as well as just talking. The final straw was when I stole a BMW.”

“Can you steal me a car?” Asked Leo, but he said it a little quieter than he usually did when he told jokes.

“No because Jane sent me to the Wilderness school and I ended up on the back of a giant bronze dragon on a magical quest..” She gave them jazz hands and rolled her eyes.

“So, do you feel better after sharing that? Because this circle is still your idea and you can still call it off.” Said Leo.

“No way. We are too far deep now. Who’s going next?”

There was a long silence.

“I-I guess I can.” Hazel sighed.


	7. Explaining your parents love story is always going to be awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long, I have no excuse

“Um, what am I supposed to start with?” Leo thought Hazel looked a bit more wary of sharing this than the others did.

“When were you born?” Piper encouraged.

“I-uh-1928?”

“Where?”

“New Orleans.”

Piper smiled. “Tell us about it.”

Hazel adjusted her seating position, folding both legs under her. Then decided she didn’t like it and moved to a classic criss-cross. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. 

“You can tell us anything, Hazel. It’s ok.”

Leo shouldn’t have been surprised that it was Nico who said this. He was her brother, of course he said something. But he had been so silent until then, and Leo couldn’t help but be surprised.

“I know. Yeah, ok. Uh, my mother was Marie Levesque. She was always interested in….magic and stuff. She was a fortune teller.

She summoned Pluto using a spell Hecate found and he….fell for her, I guess? He even swore to grant one wish, anything she wanted. My mom….she was tired of being poor, and here was the literal god of wealth saying she could have anything she wanted. She wished for all the riches of the earth. That’s how I…That’s why ....”

“The gems.” Jason answered for her. “But they were-”

“My mom didn’t know, she started selling them. But when the buyers started getting b-bad luck, my mom denied it. Blamed everything on Pluto. Moved us to Alaska.

She thought she was done with the gods forever, but she never thought- Gaea influenced her, started possessing her at night. We started to revive Alcyoneus.” 

At this point Frank had an arm around her and Nico had scooted a bit closer, looking like he wasn’t quite sure what to do. But Leo could tell that them being there was enough for Hazel.

“On the last night I found out she needed a….a human sacrifice. My mom had already agreed to sacrifice t-to protect m-me. But when I realized I collapsed the cave and pushed all the metals and gems back into the earth. Me and my mom both died. I-she was supposed to-I couldn’t-”

“It’s ok, Hazel, take a second to breathe.” Frank pulled her closer. She smiled sadly and took a deep breath.

“They were gonna send her to the Fields of Punishment, but I got them to compromise and we both went to Asphodel. I haven’t seen her since.”

“That was so brave of you Hazel, to give up Elysium like that.” Nico spoke quietly and gently, a tone of voice he seemed to reserve for his sister.

“....It-It was meant to be. Nico never would’ve found me otherwise.”

“Speaking of which, how about Nico goes next?”

Nico’s eyes widened and Leo could’ve sworn the room got a few degrees colder. 

“Um, uh, no, no thank you. I don’t-”

“It’s ok, I’ll go next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh I wonder who volunteered
> 
> I was very tempted to make this whole thing about Nico but the point of this is Leo so I’m gonna try to resist


	8. The brave hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am so sorry it has been so long since I posted.
> 
> Honestly, I lost motivation for this fic. I didn’t post for a while and then I kept forgetting and I didn’t really know what direction I wanted the story to go.
> 
> But I’ve had more free time lately and I’ve been getting comments asking me to continue this one (thank you guys so much for the comments btw they make my day and I love them).
> 
> I have an ending planned out. Little worried it’s gonna be anticlimactic after so long without posting, but I like it so whatever.

Nico sighed in relief when Percy volunteered. He owed his life to this particular group of demigods, but he did not want to open up to them. He guessed it was nice of them to invite him, but he barely interacted with them on the Argo II. Nico was also pretty sure most of them thought he was creepy, although he was used to at this point. 

Although, they had shared some pretty personal stuff today. It probably wouldn’t be fair for him to not say anything. 

He wished he was back at camp, to be honest. A lot had happened on their super fun trip so far and he was about ready to never go on vacation again. Although camp wasn’t perfect either. If he was being honest with himself, Nico missed Will. He liked talking to Will, because Sunshine always understood somehow. It all felt more real when he told Will, like it wasn’t all in his head. He could work through some of his bottle up emotions. He had to admit to himself that talking brought him relief.

Of course, he couldn’t work through all his problems that way, and he had only told Will a little bit about himself. If Nico wasn’t quite ready to share his life story with the person he trusted most right now, how could he be expected to share with them. 

So Nico wasn’t exactly excited to narrate his life story to a bunch of people who weren’t Will.

At least Hazel was here, and he liked talking to her. 

It was around then that he realized he hadn’t been listening to a thing Percy was saying. Nico felt guilty for that. Percy had saved him (once again) by volunteering and Nico didn’t even listen.

“-had been kicked out of five schools by then…”

Wait, what?

“I was in sixth grade when I found out I was a half-blood. My biggest problem then was my stepdad, Gabe. He was an asshole. He treated me and my mom like shit.” Nico noticed Percy shifting closer to Annabeth. Nico had to hide his surprise when Percy went on to say that Gabe was abusive. Even though he was over his crush on the Son of Poseidon, he still had trouble picturing Percy being afraid of anyone. Although Will would probably say that believing a person is perfect in every way is unhealthy thinking. Not that having a bad parent made anyone less than perfect. Nico learned that from Will. Nico learned that when Will defended him at camp, saying Nico’s father doesn’t define who Nico is. 

“- and Chiron was pretending to be one of my teachers, Mr. Brunner. I had no idea Grover wasn’t who he said he was. He had been nervous the entire day, insisting that he ride the bus with me and not leaving my side. Grover had been acting differently since Mrs. Dodds, which was the only way I knew that I wasn’t going crazy.”

Nico was doing his best to pay attention. He really was trying. But sometimes he would get into this mood where his mind would just drift away on a cloud the second he was told to pay attention. He usually ended up asking people to repeat sentences, or he would try to use context clues to figure out what the hell this person was talking about. It was like the more he tried to pay attention, the more he was distracted. He would lose eye contact and fade out. 

Nico stopped listening this time because he was trying to remember Grover. It felt like a million years since Nico had been ten. He remembered playing mythomagic with the satyr, who wasn’t great at the game. But he had been so excited to have an opponent that he hadn’t cared about winning so easily. Besides, Grover made the game more fun. He listened intently and made jokes about the characters. He had been a bit distracted, often glancing at Percy and Thalia with worried expressions, but he still focused on the game for the most part. Nico wondered what Grover was doing now.

Percy talked for much longer than the others had. He was describing his first quest in detail, with Annabeth adding notes occasionally. He talked about defeating the minotaur, after losing his mom. He talked about his quest for the Lightning Bolt and Luke Castellan's betrayal. Saving his mom. Then he moved on to his quest in the Bermuda Triangle, to save the camp’s poisoned tree and Grover, and how the Golden Fleece brought back the daughter of Zeus. But Percy wasn’t telling his stories like a soldier home from war like Nico expected. He was telling them with a slight grimace on his face, reluctantly going into detail when people asked. He would smile softly when he talked about Annabeth, though. It was like he was describing a vacation that had gone horribly wrong in multiple ways (much like this one), but it was all okay because he’d had one moment on the beach that made the whole trip worth it.

Nico was grateful once again when Percy didn’t talk about him too much, since he respected Nico’s privacy. But the dreaded moment finally arrived, when Percy described the way he had to tell him what happened to Bianca.

“I felt like I failed you, Nico.” Oh this wasn’t good. Nico tried to control his breathing as he looked at the floor. “You asked me to do one thing, keep one promise, and-” Annabeth whispered something to him, “I know it wasn’t my fault, Beth, but that doesn’t change anything. Nico, I’m so sor-”

“Please don’t, it’s fine,” he interrupted in a tiny voice. He was surprised to see how guilty Percy looked, since all these years he had assumed Percy never really cared about him and his sister deep down. But Percy looked broken when he talked about Bianca. 

Maybe the son of poseidon wasn’t the fairytale prince, conquering villains with bravery and honor. Returning home in glory and triumph. As Nico thought about it, he realized he didn’t see Percy that way anymore.

The rest of the stories went by in a blur, and Nico knew most of the rest anyway. But he could feel the occasional glances in his direction. Nico knew he would probably have to share next, but the little tidbits of information about him that Percy had shared with the group felt like more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it’d be really fun to do Nico POV. Of course I love “you’re not my type”, but they definitely needed a better resolution than that. I love Percy and Nico’s friendship.
> 
> Also this is a little short but I didn’t know how to sum up the entire book series in like 1000 words so I focused more on Nico’s reaction to the story than the story itself.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed.


	9. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...is it obvious that Nico is my favorite?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY ITS BEEN TOO LONG. This is officially my most inconsistent fic, which is odd bc I do rly like this one.  
> Just, u ever use up all your work ethic with school bc you’re stress is directly tied to grades and like....who did that?? I dont want that?? And then u accidentally become slightly the self appointed therapist of ur friend group which feels good bc your helping people but is also slightly just a little bit emotionally exhausting and also eats up what’s left of your work ethic?? And then your laying on the floor bc there’s so much tension in you back and shoulders that you never want to move again and then your parents tell you to exercise more??  
> That’s what happened.  
> Sry needed to vent lol

“Look, I don’t have to be a part of this-”

  
“You already are, Nico.” Piper interjected. She didn’t look mad at him, but there was determination in her eyes. If Nico hadn’t immediately looked away, maybe he would’ve seen the vulnerability that was there too. “You went through the quest with us, you listened to our stories.”

Did he really go through it with them? Yes, he was there, but he wasn’t fully there. He didn’t talk to them much during the quest, he was recovering from mental and physical trauma. That he went through alone. Hazel had earned his trust. Jason and Percy were close. The rest of them were different. He would trust his life to them in battle, but he didn’t think he could give them his secrets.

So he stared at the floor, fiddling with his ring, silently hoping that someone would save him from this decision. For a moment, he glanced at Percy, but all he got was a stupidly encouraging look. Then, there was a hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to tell us everything, Nico.” He forced himself to meet her golden eyes. He’d resolved to trust his little sister a while ago, but it was still a struggle every time. “But is there any little thing that you think you can share with us?” 

She was biting her lip, just slightly. Her expression wasn’t what he expected it to be. Rather than curiosity or pity, she only showed him kindness, vulnerability, and so much love he got overwhelmed and had to look away.

Who was he to say no to that face?

This sucked.

“...Ok.”

Someone gasped slightly. He couldn’t quite tell who. It might’ve been him.

Was there anything he was ready to share? They all knew he was gay, since he’d recently announced his relationship with Will. He definitely didn’t want to say anything about Tartarus or the jar. Those memories were saved exclusively for his sketchbook for now. Some of the people here already knew about Bianca, so maybe telling the rest wouldn’t be terrible. It would still hurt a lot, though. There was one other piece of his past that could be defined as a backstory.

“I was born in Venice.” His voice started quiet, but he was pretty sure they could hear him. “In 1932. Before World War II and the Big Three pact.” 

“So Hades was the only one that didn’t break the pact?” Asked Frank.

“Yeah, um, so I lived in Italy during World War II, and Mussolini.” He looked at Hazel. He knew his voice at the moment was uncharacteristically shaky and small.

“That must’ve been bad.”

  
Nico hesitated for a moment. She was right, it hadn’t exactly been fun. He remembered being scared all the time. It was even worse when he realized he was gay. He was old enough to fear himself but too young to try to reject that part of him. His memory of the time is spotty, but he had quite enough bad memories.

“Yes...but,” he looked at the floor again, “the ocean was so beautiful.”

Against all odds and logic, Nico smiled a little at the memory of his home. Maybe it was because his Italian accent was becoming more and more noticeable as he talked. He spoke a bit about little trips to the harbor, the gelato stand down the street, and his mother’s opera performances. He told them about Bianca, and how brave she was even as a little kid. His memories of Italy were scary, but there were so many good ones, too.

Then his smile turned to a grimace, and he braced himself for the next part. 

“But then the pact was made.” The accent was heavy now, and Nico was beginning to feel like he was in hand to hand combat with the tears in his eyes. “Zeus did not want us to live. My father moved us to America. He was trying to convince my mother to let him raise us in the underworld, where we would be safe, when Zeus attacked us with lightning.” His voice got even quieter. “My mother did not survive. Hades erased our memories and hid us in the Lotus Hotel. We didn’t leave until four years ago.” 

Nico felt like he had said too much. They didn’t need to know that. But then, Hazel took his hand and he felt something else.

It was strange, but saying his feelings out loud made them feel more real. He felt like a slight tension in his mind had finally released. Hazel squeezed his hand. He glanced up at the group’s kind eyes. He felt peace.

For now, he felt okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof gettin near the end hopefully I can post again soon.


	10. when they look at each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> omg I can't believe we made it to Leo's turn. Thx to everyone who read this, I would've abandoned it a long time ago if it weren't for your comments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the only chapter of the fic that was beta read so shout out to my friend megaultraboop for reading this even though she didn't know the characters.

When Leo’s friends started their sharing circle, he hated everything about what was happening. He was planning ways to escape. Distractions he could cause, lies he could tell to cover things up, something he could say to make them stop, literally just leaving.

They were all friends, they all agreed on that, they didn’t have to tell each other everything. Leo didn’t like talking about feelings. He hated it when the mood was down, so he was always trying to bring it up. Because the thing about Leo was that when his mood got just a little bit down it tended to plummet. Like climbing to the top of a mountain only to fall down the other side.

He had talked about his past with Calypso, just a little bit. She deserved to know who he was. But this felt like too much. This was overwhelming and pointless. It wasn’t like it was going to get him anywhere. It wasn’t going to make anything better, it wasn’t going to change the past.

And then his friends started talking. The mood went down, Leo felt like it was plummeting again. He felt angry at the people that hurt his friends, he felt sad that they had to go through that, he felt guilty that it was all happening because of him, he felt bitter and spiteful and he hated all those feelings so he kept silent. He kept them inside. 

But there was another feeling. A feeling that was difficult to explain. A feeling he got from the way Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, knowing how much they had been through. A look forged in battle and perfected in peacefulness. A feeling of understanding and a special type of relief. Like coming home after a long day. It came from the way Frank would glance at Hazel, a comfortable hesitance. The same innocence and rest that came from finally falling asleep after three days of restlessness. The way he could still be shy around her, even though he trusted her with his life, because he finally had time to be shy. The way Hazel would smile at Frank, warm and relieved, like she couldn’t believe he was actually still here. When Hazel looked at her friends, grateful with a hint of surprise. When Jason looked at Piper like she was his day and night, his sky and stars. The way Piper’s eyes softened when she glanced around the circle, grateful to them for seeing her. Even Nico, holding Hazel’s hand or laughing at Percy with Annabeth. When Leo’s friends looked at each other, there was meaning in the sadness, there was hope in the fury, there was kindness in the pain.

And when Leo’s friends looked at him, like the way they were now, when it was finally his turn, he felt less rigid, less like he was running on a motor. Annabeth saw the intelligence in him, the quality that was often overlooked despite his inventions. Frank, Hazel, and Leo both lost a parent too soon, that bonded people. That understanding. Jason saw how Leo was kind, deep down. Jason saw that Leo was lonely, and he couldn’t stand that so he was Leo’s friend. He saw that Leo was worth more than he believed. Percy and Nico, they understood pain. Percy saw how joy could be found through it, like Leo did. Nico saw that Leo wasn’t always as okay as he said he was. And Piper was Leo’s sister, the one who had been lonely and needed attention, like he did. The one who understood him. She looked at him and saw an equal, a look that Leo did not get often enough. 

Leo and his friends were connected in a complicated, intricate, painful, beautiful web of bonds. They had been through so much. But the point was that they were still together. Leo looked around and all his friends were still here. They hadn’t left, they hadn’t died, they hadn’t tried to hurt him, they were here, they were helping each other heal. They were here. They were  _ here _ . 

They had agreed that their bonds were strong enough that they could be honest with each other, they could talk to each other. They had shared their feelings in this twisted version of a kindergarten game. Even Nico had decided to trust them.

So when it was his turn, Leo stared at the floor for a while. He knew they were looking at him, waiting, as Leo thought over his options. 

And… he wanted to feel that feeling. He wanted to feel the relief and resolution that his family was still here with him in the end. He wanted to feel a bit of that love and peace.

So he took a deep breath, and started talking. He started with telling them about his mom, genius, strong, and kind. He told them about the night she died. He felt like he was in a sailboat, trying to survive a storm. But after the storm is a rainbow, right? He told them about Rosa, how she had blamed him and hated him. Piper told him it wasn’t his fault. He told them about every foster home, every scar, every wall that went up between him and the rest of the world. He told them everything. It was hard. There was no other way to describe it, it was just so hard. Talking about it made it feel too real, like it wasn’t just in his head where it was protected and he could pretend it wasn’t real. But he also felt his shoulders untensing, his breath evening. He ended with how he met Calypso, how they had been alone in Ogygia and slowly fell in love. He looked at the window and saw the sunlight reflecting through the glass, making a rainbow.

The rain was over and gone.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im happy with this chapter. I hope it wasn't anticlimactic or anything. I'm probably gonna do another chapter so stay tuned for that.

**Author's Note:**

> No Raphael is not an oc he’s just faceless.
> 
> I googled Rosa and realized she had a son so...
> 
> Look I know you think they would have reacted faster but they were shocked, theY realized Rosa and Raphael were human (kinda), and wanted the whole group for maximum effect.


End file.
